How we got into this crazy thing
Hi, I'm Seanna! Owner and Founder of Wildercat Upcycling Company, which sounds much less impressive when you realize this is a one woman show. Nevertheless, I hope you'll let me share the story of how Wildercat came to be.
2022 was a heck of a year for me, I found myself enjoying the warm sun and beautiful beaches in Jamaica in February, then the brisk prairies of Manitoba in April. By September I was off to the beautiful coast of British Columbia before heading north to the last frontier of Alaska. Finally, the year ended high in the Himalayas, at Everest Base Camp.
In Nepal, on the trek to Everest Base camp, I had expected trash. In recent years the name Everest has become synonymous with long lines and piling garbage. But recent clean up efforts were starting to make an impact, that is to say, I saw about the same amount of trash as I had in Jamaica, Manitoba, British Columbia and Alaska. It was certainly there, but not so much that I took particular notice. But it left me wondering where the plastic went after it left the mountain. The thought didn't last long, and much like the trash, it was soon out of site and out of mind.
The summer of 2023 found me assisting in dozens of turtle releases, always into bodies of water, and all too often beside trash floating in those same bodies of water. While complaining one day about humans and their tendencies to pollute the planet, I thought screw it, I can help clean things up when I see them. And while going into a recycling bin is always preferable to a lake, it still doesn't solve the problem that comes next, with only 9% of all plastic ever having been recycled and the incredible amount of plastics that have made it to our natural environments. It seemed almost willfully ingnorant to pat myself on the back for a trash cleanup while knowing I was likely diverting it from one ecosystem to another. And very very slowly, the idea for Wildercat Upcycling Co. was born from there.
By the Numbers
11
Cities Where Plastic has been collected
00
Donations to Canadian Wildlife Organizations
3275
Grams of Plastic Diverted from Waste Streams
01
Hosted Plastic Collection Events
ABOUT
The Theory
The worldwide "plastics problem" is so overwhelming for many problem solvers because even if as a society we quit plastics cold turkey today, that does nothing to manage to the billions of tons of plastics we've already created and mismanaged.
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With an expected life of hundreds of years and few good ways to shorten that lifespan it seemed to me the best means of managing even the smallest portion of the world's plastics was obvious. Reuse. As long as something remains useful, we'll keep it around.
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Recycling historically hadn't worked, so I shifted my mindset to Upcycling.
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The concept of upcycling is simple, you take one thing and turn it into something else, usually of higher value. Here at Wildercat, that means broken storage bins become Luggage Tags, breathing new life into the plastic.
OUR HAPPY CLIENTS
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Danelle (who is admittedly my sister) from Ontario
"Love the idea, love the story, love the tag!"
Laura from Ontario
"Took 3 tags on our PEI trip this summer. Kids loved the shapes and colours and the kids even made sure to pick up any beach plastics we found on our travels!"​
Cailie (who is also my sister) from Ontario
"It was a dreary day in March when Seanna was born. My life took a turn for the worse. My life has turned around now with the addition of my new luggage tags. Buy them. No questions needed."
Sue from Ontario
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"Loving the colours, glad that it's helping the environment. Will be spreading the word on your beautiful work."
Brad from Calgary, Alberta
These are absolutely amazing. Not only are they unique, they help the environment. I love the idea that these are from plastic which would have ended up in the landfill. The quality is top notch with the engraining being an personal touch. I will definetly order more as then I can easily identify my bags!
Gabby from Ontario
LOVE my luggage tag. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but the plastic feels sturdy, and the colours look amazing. I love the quality of the tag and the handwritten note with my package was a really nice touch. I've already ordered more to give to friends and family!
